A white female Maltese was spotted wandering along the sidewalk near Block 510 Bedok North Ave 2 on a sweltering hot afternoon. She was panting very hard and walked with a slight limp. She had only one eye; her left eye seems to have been lost from an injury or surgery some time back. She had no collar on. Concerned that the dog might be in distress, her rescuers stopped their car to check on the cute pudgy looking white dog and offered her food and water. She seemed hungry and thirsty and gobbled up all the food in no time.
After her hearty meal, this determined dog was ready to set off again as if to look for someone. Her rescuers decided that it was too dangerous to leave this little cute dog to her own devices as they watched her attempting to cross an intersection of a road, so they leashed her and housed her at the Pet Hotel after a general health check by the vet.
The Vet revealed that this little dog had no microchip and has been relatively well cared for and well fed as she was on the tubby side. She is estimated to be about 6 -7 years old. Apart from very minor skin problems, she was in good health. She was no longer limping. Her limp could have stemmed from her walking for hours or days on the streets looking for her owner.
As all dogs should have a name, her rescuer named her Muffin. Muffin is a sweet girl who is extremely easygoing, trusting and has a charming personality.
The next day, Muffin was brought back to the place where she was found, in the attempt to find her owner. Muffin looked visibly excited, as if anticipating being back with her owner. She made some sounds while in the car, as if trying to communicate her plight.
Her rescuers allowed her to lead them through the blocks of HDB flat and to their surprise, Muffin hurried up a flight of stairs eagerly, brought them up to the third floor, turned right and stopped outside a flat.
Hopeful that Muffin had found her home, they knocked on the door but to no avail. They enquired with neighbors and confirmed that that particular household owns a dog but neighbours were evasive about whether Muffin was that dog. A note, with Muffin’s photograph, was left under the door but unfortunately, till now, the owners have yet to call.
The rescuers have done their due diligence by informing the relevant authorities, placing ads in the papers, taking Muffin to the vet to scan for microchip and do a general health check. They have also on more than one occasion taken her back to the area she was found, in the hope that someone will recognize her and know her owner. Alas, nothing has resulted from that.
Muffin loves the company of her foster family and is settling in well but we know she misses her owner and we sense that she still feels she is lost, or perhaps she just can’t accept the fact that she has been abandoned. We too, can’t accept that such a sweet, lovely dog can be abandoned under such circumstances, but having been a volunteer in animal welfare for many years, we are aware of the harsh realities of pet abandonment. If a pet owner has made up their mind to abandon their pet, chances are they would just do so, without considering the dangers they would be putting their pet through, or whether their pet would even survive a few hours on the streets avoiding traffic or fending for themselves.
Our initial hopes of finding Muffin’s owner diminishes as the days go by too . . . . we get the sinking feeling that she was abandoned, not lost. It has been almost one month and we now have to think of what’s best for Muffin and to give her the happiness and love that she deserves again.
Muffin is currently under the tender loving care of her foster family. However, they are not able to keep her for long.
Muffin’s Description:
Vet estimates her to be about 6 to 7 years old, probably lost her left eye several years ago as the wound has healed. She is well-built and pudgy, has a lump on the underside of her due to hernia, which the vet says is unlikely to cause any problems. She was clean shaven when she was found 28 April 2010 (Wed) and has a slight skin condition. She was found near Block 510, Bedok North St 3 with no microchip and no collar.
[Sat 15 May. Source: http://zeuscommunications.blogspot.com/2010/05/help-me-im-lost.html, Thu 13 May.]
tue 26 oct 2010
muffin has found a home
